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In a time when pampering the body has become an acceptable means of chasing away workday stress, it is only fitting that the old Trader Vic's at The Plaza is about to become a spa.
And not just a place to grab a quick mud wrap, either. The 30,000-square-foot facility will include 26 treatment rooms for massages, salt rubs and aromatherapy, as well as a swimming pool, saunas and exercise equipment.
"We want this to be the most elegant spa in the tristate area," say's Inkert, the hotel's general manager.
Spa owners are supposed to exude a Zen-like calm, but those are fighting words.
The Plazas facility is one of at least 10 day spas being developed in Manhattan, and each is rolling out the French terry cloth for the same upscale patron. The competition is bound to be as sharp as an acupuncture needle when the newcomers join the more than three dozen spas that have already staked their claim to people willing to pay $200 for a marine algae revitalizing mask or $85 for a detoxifying seaweed wrap.
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In addition to The Plazas spa,...